Poetry Sisters Write Poems to Unanswerable Questions

This month the Poetry Sisters' challenge was to dream up an unanswerable question and answer it in a poem. For example, in the poem "How Many How Much," Shel Silverstein asked, "How many slams in an old screen door?" 

On our Zoom call Sunday, we spent 5 minutes generating questions on our own, and then we shared them. It gave us a lot of ideas to work with! I tried writing to a couple of different prompts but found that every poem I started wound its way to an answer, which was not the point. Ultimately, I ended up with lots of questions and no answers. 

Ode to Wonder

How many ticks in a grandfather clock?
How many rings in a bell?
How many days in a rotating Earth?
How many pails from a well?

How many songs in 88 keys?
How many drops in the rain?
How many spins on a merry-go-round
How many thoughts in a brain?

Who made the stars?
What makes them shine?
Is there life beyond Earth in space?
Where are lost souls?
When are they found?
Why have they fallen from grace?

The why of the world
is a curious thing
with so many questions to ponder.
Sit down for a bit
and think big things
there's so much for us to wonder.

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.

You can find the poems shared by my Poetry Sisters at the links below. 

• Tanita Davis
• Mary Lee Hahn
• Sara Lewis Holmes
• Kelly Ramsdell
• Laura Purdie Salas
• Liz Garton Scanlon

Would you like to try the next challenge? In May we’re writing in the style of Lucille Clifton and are writing poem about body parts ala "Homage to My Hips." Are you in? Good! You have a month to craft your creation and share it on May 31st in a post and/or on social media with the tag #PoetryPals. We look forward to reading your poems!  

In addition to this poem, I have been building a book spine poem each day to celebrate National Poetry Month. I hope you'll pop over to my April 26 post to check it out and explore some of the other poems I've written. If you've been following the Progressive Poem, you might like my April 25 poem, which was inspired by the unfolding plight of the poem's characters.

This week, Poetry Friday is hosted by Ruth at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town. I hope you'll take some time to check out all the poetic things being shared today. Happy poetry Friday, friends!

NPM 2024 - Book Spine Poem 26

Happy Poetry Friday! For National Poetry Month this year, I am perusing my bookshelves and building book spine poems.

Up in the garden and down in the dirt

a seed is the start

When green becomes tomatoes

my father’s hands

Pick! Pull! Snap!

Tops and bottoms

first, peas to the table

corn

rah, rah, radishes

fresh, delicious

Let’s eat!

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.

Sources

• Up In the Garden and Down In the Dirt by Kate Messner, art by Christopher Silas Neal
• A Seed Is the Start by Melissa Stewart
• When Green Becomes Tomatoes: Poems for All Seasons by Julie Fogliano, pictures by Julie Morstad
• My Father's Hands by Joanne Ryder, illustrations by Mark Graham
• Pick, Pull, Snap!: Where Once a Flower Bloomed by Lola Schaefer, illustrations by Lindsay Barrett George
• Tops & Bottoms, adapted and illustrated by Janet Stevens
• First Peas to the Table by Susan Grigsby, illustrations by Nicole Tadgell
• Corn by Gail Gibbons
• Rah, Rah, Radishes!: A Vegetable Chant by April Pulley Sayre
• Fresh Delicious: Poems From the Farmer's Market by Irene Latham, illustrations by Mique Moriuchi
• Let's Eat!: What Children Eat Around the World by Beatrice Hollyer

I hope you'll come back again to see what new poem I've cobbled together. You can find other poems I've written this month at the links below.

April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9

April 10
April 11 

April 12
April 13
April 14
April 15 
April 16
April 17
April 18

April 19

April 20

April 21
April 22
April 23

April 24

April 25

This week, Poetry Friday is hosted by Ruth at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town. I hope you'll take some time to check out all the poetic things being shared today.

NPM 2024 - Book Spine Poem 25

**If you are looking for the Poetry Friday post or the 26th book spine poem, see the links below.**

Poetry Sisters Write Poems to Unanserable Questions
NPM 2024 - Book Spine Poem 26

For National Poetry Month this year, I am perusing my bookshelves and building book spine poems. Today's poem was inspired by this year's Progressive Poem. (See the list of participants to follow the poem. It began with Patricia Franze at Reverie.)

The journey

out of the dust

dreamers

the undefeated

illegal

chasing freedom

unspoken

unsettling truths

This child, every child

now and then

an American story

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.

Sources

• The Journey by Sarah Stewart, illustrations by David Small
• Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
• Dreamers by Yuyi Morales
• The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander, illustrations by Kadir Nelson
• Illegal by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin, illustrations by Giovanni Rigano
• Chasing Freedom: The Life Journeys of Harriet Tubman and Susan B. Anthony, Inspired by Historical Facts by Nikki Grimes, illustrations by Michele Wood
• Unspoken: A Story From the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole
• Unsettling Truths: The Ongoing Dehumanizing Legacy of the Doctrine of Discovery by Mark Charles and Soong-Chan Rah
• This Child, Every Child: A Book About the World's Children by David J. Smith, illustrations by Shelagh Armstrong
• Now and Then by Claire Philip, illustrations by Greg Paprocki
• An American Story by Kwame Alexander, art by Dare Coulter

I hope you'll come back again to see what new poem I've cobbled together. You can find other poems I've written this month at the links below.

April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9

April 10
April 11 

April 12
April 13
April 14
April 15 
April 16
April 17
April 18

April 19

April 20

April 21
April 22
April 23

April 24

NPM 2024 - Book Spine Poem 24

For National Poetry Month this year, I am perusing my bookshelves and building book spine poems.

We 

wonder

the shape of the world

gravity

spiders and their webs

dinosaur bones

bubble homes and fish farts

how the sea came to be

the stunning science of everything

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.

Sources

• We by Alice Schertle, illustrations by Kenneth Addison
• Wonder by R.J. Palacio
• The Shape of the World by K.L. Going, illustrated Lauren Stringer
• Gravity by Jason Chin
• Spiders and Their Webs by Darlyne A. Murawski
• Dinosaur Bones by Bob Barner
• Bubble Homes and Fish Farts by Fiona Bayrock, illustrations by Carolyn Conahan
• How the Sea Came to Be: And All the Creatures In It by Jennifer Berne, illustrations by Amanda Hall
• The Stunning Science of Everything: Science With the Squishy Bits Left In! by Nick Arnold, illustrations by Tony De Saulles

I hope you'll come back again to see what new poem I've cobbled together. You can find other poems I've written this month at the links below.

April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9

April 10
April 11 

April 12
April 13
April 14
April 15 
April 16
April 17
April 18

April 19
April 20

April 21
April 22
April 23

NPM 2024 - Book Spine Poem 23

For National Poetry Month this year, I am perusing my bookshelves and building book spine poems.

Poem-Making

Look to the stars

listen to the wind

How do you feel?

Reflect and write

a river of words

Fearless writing

the arrow finds its mark

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.

Sources

• Poem-Making: Ways to Begin Writing Poetry by Myra Cohn Livingston
• Look to the Stars by Buzz Aldrin, paintings by Wendell Minor
• Listen to the Wind: The Story of Dr. Greg & Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth, collages by Susan L. Roth
• How Do You Feel? by Anthony Browne
• Reflect and Write: 300 Poems and Photographs to Inspire Writing, compiled by Elizabeth Guy and Hank Kellner
• A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams by Jen Bryant, illustrations by Melissa Sweet
• Fearless Writing: Multigenre to Motivate and Inspire by Tom Romano
• The Arrow Finds Its Mark: A Book of Found Poems, edited by Georgia Heard, illustrations by Antoine Guilloppé

I hope you'll come back again to see what new poem I've cobbled together. You can find other poems I've written this month at the links below.

April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9

April 10
April 11 

April 12
April 13
April 14
April 15 
April 16
April 17
April 18

April 19
April 20

April 21
April 22

NPM 2024 - Book Spine Poem 22

For National Poetry Month this year, I am perusing my bookshelves and building book spine poems.

Ten flashing fireflies

light up the night

counting the stars

dark on light

Small wonders

flip, float, fly

a sky full of poems

signals in the sky

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.

Sources

• Ten Flashing Fireflies by Philemon Sturges, illustrations by Anna Vojtech
• Light Up the Night by Jean Reidy, illustrations by Margaret Chodos-Irvine
• Counting the Stars: The Story of Katherine Johnson, NASA Mathematician by Lesa Cline-Ransome, illustrations by Raúl Colón
• Dark on Light by Dianne White, illustrations by Felicita Sala
• Small Wonders: Jean-Henri Fabre & His World of Insects by Matthew Clark Smith, illustrations by Giuliano Ferri
• Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move by JoAnn Early Macken, illustrations by Pam Paparone
• A Sky Full of Poems by Eve Merriam, illustrations by Walter Gaffney-Kessell
• Signals in the Sky by Candice Ransom

I hope you'll come back again to see what new poem I've cobbled together. You can find other poems I've written this month at the links below.

April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9

April 10
April 11 

April 12
April 13
April 14
April 15 
April 16
April 17
April 18

April 19
April 20

April 21

NPM 2024 - Book Spine Poem 21

For National Poetry Month this year, I am perusing my bookshelves and building book spine poems.

Firefly July

Marshmallow clouds

enchanted air

Yellow umbrella

one white sail

Ice cream summer

lemonade sun

Summer beat

see me run!

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.

Sources

• Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems, selected by Paul B. Janeczko, illustrated by Melissa Sweet
• Marshmallow Clouds: Two Poets at Play Among Figures of Speech by Ted Kooser and Connie Wanek, illustrations by Richard Jones
• Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir by Margarita Engle
• Yellow Umbrella by Jae Soo Liu
• One White Sail by S.T. Garne, pictures by Lisa Etre
• Ice Cream Summer by Peter Sís
• Lemonade Sun and Other Poems by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, illustrations by Jan Spivey Gilchrist
• Summer Beat by Besty Franco, illustrations by Charlotte Middleton
• See Me Run by Paul Meisel

I hope you'll come back again to see what new poem I've cobbled together. You can find other poems I've written this month at the links below.

April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9

April 10
April 11 

April 12
April 13
April 14
April 15 
April 16
April 17
April 18

April 19
April 20

NPM 2024 - Book Spine Poem 20

For National Poetry Month this year, I am perusing my bookshelves and building book spine poems.

A Writing Kind of Day

When rain falls

Splish! Splash!

The sky stirs up trouble

Tap, tap! Boom, boom!

When thunder comes

Flash! Crash! Rumble and Roll!

This is the rain

Drip! Drop!

What’s the weather inside?

Cloudy, with a chance of meatballs.

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.

Sources

• A Writing Kind of Day: Poems For Young Poets by Ralph Fletcher, illustrations by April Ward
• When Rain Falls by Melissa Stewart, illustrations by Constance Rummel Bergum
• Splish Splash by Joan Bransfield Graham, illustrations by Steve Scott
• The Sky Stirs Up Trouble: Tornadoes by Belinda Jensen, illustrations by Renée Kurilla 
• Tap Tap Boom Boom by Elizabeth Bluemle, illustrations by G. Brian Karas
• When Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Leaders by J. Patrick Lewis, illustrations by Jim Burke, R. Gregory Christie, Tonya Engel, John Parra, Meilo So
• Flash, Crash, Rumble, and Roll by Franklyn Branley, illustrations by True Kelley
• This Is the Rain by Lola M. Schaefer, illustrations by Jane Wattenberg 
• Drip! Drop!: How Water Gets to Your Tap by Barbara Seuling, illustrations by Nancy Tobin 
• What's the Weather Inside?: Poems by Karma Wilson, illustrations by Barry Blitt 
• Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett, drawn by Ron Barrett

I hope you'll come back again to see what new poem I've cobbled together. You can find other poems I've written this month at the links below.

April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9

April 10
April 11 

April 12
April 13
April 14
April 15 
April 16
April 17 
April 18
April 19

Progressive Poem is Here!

Have you been following the progressive poem progress? I hope so! I'm happy to be number 20 in line for this growing tale. My couplet is at the boom and in bold.

cradled in stars, our planet sleeps,

clinging to tender dreams of peace

sister moon watches from afar,

singing lunar lullabies of hope.

almost dawn, I walk with others,

keeping close, my little brother.

hand in hand, we carry courage

escaping closer to the border

My feet are lightning;

My heart is thunder.

Our pace draws us closer

to a new land of wonder.

I bristle against rough brush—

poppies ahead brighten the browns.

Morning light won’t stay away—

hearts jump at every sound.

I hum my own little song

like ripples in a stream

Humming Mami’s lullaby

reminds me I have her letter

My fingers linger on well-worn creases,

shielding an address, a name, a promise–

Sister Moon will find always us

surrounding us with beams of kindness

But last night as we rested in the dusty field,

worries crept in about matters back home.

I huddled close to my brother. Tears revealed

the no-choice need to escape. I feel grown.

Leaving all I’ve ever known

the tender, heavy, harsh of home.

On to maybes, on to dreams,

on to whispers we hope could be.

But I don't want to whisper! I squeeze Manu's hand.

"¡Más cerca ahora!" Our feet pound the sand.

We race, we pant, we lean on each other

I open my canteen and drink gratefully

Thirst is slaked, but I know we’ll need

more than water to achieve our dreams.

Nights pass slowly, but days call for speed

through the highs and the lows, we live with extremes

Janet, hosted at Reflections on the Teche has the next couplet!

For the full schedule of participants, see the list below.

April 1 Patricia Franz at Reverie
April 2 Jone MacCulloch
April 3 Janice Scully at Salt City Verse
April 4 Leigh Anne Eck at A Day in the Life
April 5 Irene at Live Your Poem
April 6 Margaret at Reflections on the Teche
April 7 Marcie Atkins
April 8 Ruth at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town
April 9 Karen Eastlund
April 10 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
April 11 Buffy Silverman
April 12 Linda Mitchell at A Word Edgewise
April 13 Denise Krebs at Dare to Care
April 14 Carol Varsalona at Beyond Literacy Link
April 15 Rose Cappelli at Imagine the Possibilities
April 16 Sarah Grace Tuttle
April 17 Heidi Mordhorst at my juicy little universe
April 18 Tabatha at Opposite of Indifference
April 19 Catherine Flynn at Reading to the Core
April 20 Tricia Stohr-Hunt at The Miss Rumphius Effect
April 21 Janet, hosted here at Reflections on the Teche
April 22 Mary Lee Hahn at A(nother) Year of Reading
April 23 Tanita Davis at (fiction, instead of lies)
April 24 Molly Hogan at Nix the Comfort Zone
April 25 Joanne Emery at Word Dancer
April 26 Karin Fisher-Golton at Still in Awe
April 27 Donna Smith at Mainely Write
April 28 Dave at Leap of Dave
April 29 Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge
April 30 Michelle Kogan at More Art for All

NPM 2024 - Book Spine Poem 19

Happy Poetry Friday! For National Poetry Month this year, I am perusing my bookshelves and building book spine poems.

This is just to say

poetry matters

Today and today

just people and paper, pen, poem

tiny dreams sprouting tall

Wonderful words

falling down the page

A lucky thing

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.

Sources

• This is Just to Say by Joyce Sidman, illustrations by Pamela Zagarenski
• Poetry Matters: Writing a Poem From the Inside Out by Ralph Fletcher 
• Today and Today, haiku by Issa, pictures by G. Brian Karas
• Just People and Other Poems for Young Readers & Paper/Pen/Poem: A Young Writer's Way to Begin, poems by Kathi Appelt, photographs by Kenneth Appelt
• Tiny Dreams Sprounting Tall: Poems About the United States by Laura Purdie Salas
• Wonderful Words: Poems About Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening, selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrations by Karen Barbour
• Falling Down the Page: A Book of List Poems, edited by Georgia Heard
• A Lucky Thing by Alice Schertle, paintings by Wendell Minor

I hope you'll come back again to see what new poem I've cobbled together. You can find other poems I've written this month at the links below.

April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9

April 10
April 11 

April 12
April 13
April 14
April 15 
April 16
April 17
April 18

This week, Poetry Friday is hosted by Heidi Mordhorst at my juicy little universe. I hope you'll take some time to check out all things poetic being shared today.

NPM 2024 - Book Spine Poem 18

For National Poetry Month this year, I am perusing my bookshelves and building book spine poems.

Subway sparrow

city hawk

honk, honk, goose

bird talk

Chatter, sing, roar, buzz

song of the wild

where I live 

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.

Sources

• Subway Sparrow by Leyla Torres
• City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male by Meghan McCarthy
• Honk, Honk, Goose!: Canada Geese Start a Family by April Pulley Sayre, illustrations by Huy Voun Lee
• Bird Talk: What Birds Are Saying and Why by Lita Judge
• Chatter, Sing, Roar, Buzz: Poems About the Rain Forest by Laura Purdie Salas
• Song of the Wild: A First Book of Animals by Nicola Davies, illustrations by Petr Horacek 
• Where I Live by Eileen Spinelli, illustrations by Matt Phelan

I hope you'll come back again to see what new poem I've cobbled together. You can find other poems I've written this month at the links below.

April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9

April 10
April 11 

April 12
April 13
April 14
April 15 
April 16
April 17

NPM 2024 - Book Spine Poem 17

For National Poetry Month this year, I am perusing my bookshelves and building book spine poems.

I’m trying to love math

Marvelous math

  the numbers

   millions, billions, and trillions

    this plus that

Mesmerizing math

  when a line bends, a shape begins

   shapes, shapes, shapes

    seeing symmetry

Mystery math

  How many?

   Why Pi?

    Which one doesn’t belong?

Grasping mysteries

in the moment

learning to love math

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.

Sources

• I'm Trying to Love Math by Bethany Barton
• Marvelous Math: A Book of Poems, selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrations by Karen Barbour
• The Numbers (Mouse Books) by Monique Felix 
• Millions, Billions, & Trillions: Understanding Big Numbers by David A. Adler, illustrations by Edward Miller
• This Plus That: Life's Little Equations by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrations by Jen Corace
• Mesmerizing Math by Jonathan Litton, illustrations by Thomas Flintham 
• When a Line Bends . . . A Shape Begins by Rhonda Gowler Greene, illustrations by James Kaczman 
• Shapes, Shapes, Shapes by Tana Hoban
• Seeing Symmetry by Loreen Leedy
• Mystery Math: A First Book of Algebra by David A. Adler, illustrations by Edward Miller 
• How Many? (Talking Math) by Christopher Danielson
• Why Pi? by Johnny Ball
• Which One Doesn't Belong?: A Shapes Book by Christopher Danielson
• Grasping Mysteries: Girls Who Loved Math by Jeannine Atkins
• In the Moment: Conferring in the Elementary Math Classroom by Jen Munson
• Learning to Love Math: Teaching Strategies That Change Student Attitudes and Get Results by Judy Willis

I hope you'll come back again to see what new poem I've cobbled together. You can find other poems I've written this month at the links below.

April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9

April 10
April 11 

April 12
April 13
April 14
April 15 
April 16

NPM 2024 - Book Spine Poem 16

For National Poetry Month this year, I am perusing my bookshelves and building book spine poems.

The year comes round

a new school year

Let's go!

The song shoots out of my mouth

O Frabjous day!

Hello school!

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.

Sources

• The Year Comes Round: Haiku through the Seasons by Sid Farrar, illustrations by Ilse Plume
• A New School Year: Stories in Six Voices by Sally Derby, illustrations by Mika Song
• Let's Go!: The Story of Getting from There to Here by Lizann Flatt, illustrations by Scot Ritchie 
• The Song Shoots Out of My Mouth by Jaime Adoff, illustrations by Martin French
• O Frabjous Day!: Poetry for Holidays and Special Occasions, edited by Myra Cohn Livingston
• Hello School! by Dee Lillegard, illustrations by Don Carter

I hope you'll come back again to see what new poem I've cobbled together. You can find other poems I've written this month at the links below.

April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9

April 10
April 11 

April 12
April 13
April 14
April 15

NPM 2024 - Book Spine Poem 15

For National Poetry Month this year, I am perusing my bookshelves and building book spine poems.

Leaf by leaf
swirl by swirl
down ... down ... down
Wonder fall
Roots and blues
Forest has a song

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.

Sources

• Leaf by Leaf: Autumn Poems selected by Barbara Rogasky, photographs by Marc Tauss
• Swirl by Swirl: Spirals in Nature by Joyce Sidman, pictures by Beth Krommes
• Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea by Steve Jenkins
• Wonderfall by Michael Hall
• Roots and Blues: A Celebration by Arnold Adoff, paintings by R. Gregory Christie
• Forest Has a Song by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, illustrations by Robbin Gourley

I hope you'll come back again to see what new poem I've cobbled together. You can find other poems I've written this month at the links below.

April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9

April 10
April 11 

April 12
April 13
April 14

NPM 2024 - Book Spine Poem 14

For National Poetry Month this year, I am perusing my bookshelves and building book spine poems.

Sky scrape, city scape

come with me

A city is

home to me

New York

Hello, hello!

Here I am 

home, sweet home

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.

Sources

• Sky Scrape/City Scape: Poems of City Life by Jane Yolen, illustrations by Ken Condon 
• Come With Me: Poems For a Journey by Naomi Shihab Nye, images by Dan Yaccarino
• A City Is by Norman Rosten, illustrations by Melanie Hope Greenberg
• Home to Me: Poems Across America, selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrations by Stephen Alcorn
• New York (State Shapes) by Erik Bruun, illustrations by Rick Peterson
• Hello Hello by Brendan Wenzel
• Here I Am by Patti Kim, pictures by Sonia Sánchez
• Home, Sweet Home: What Makes a House a Home? by Moira Butterfield, illustrations by Clair Rossiter

I hope you'll come back again to see what new poem I've cobbled together. You can find other poems I've written this month at the links below.

April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9

April 10
April 11 

April 12
April 13

NPM 2024 - Book Spine Poem 13

 For National Poetry Month this year, I am perusing my bookshelves and building book spine poems.

Looking down
the microscope
Can you see what I see?
A drop of water
strange creatures
least things
ten times better

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.

Sources

• Looking Down by Steve Jenkins
  
• The Microscope by Maxine Kumin, pictures by Arnold Lobel
• Can You See What I See?: On the Road by Walter Wick
• A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder by Walter Wick
• Strange Creatures: The Story of Walter Rothschild and His Museum by Lita Judge
• Least Things: Poems About Small Natures by Jane Yolen, photographs by Jason Stemple
• Ten Times Better by Richard Michelson, paintings by Leonard Baskin

I hope you'll come back again to see what new poem I've cobbled together. You can find other poems I've written this month at the links below.

April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9

April 10
April 11 

April 12

NPM 2024 - Book Spine Poem 12

Happy Poetry Friday! For National Poetry Month this year, I am perusing my bookshelves and building book spine poems.

Fireflies at midnight
flicker flash
light up the night
sky magic

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.

Sources

• Fireflies at Midnight by Marilyn Singer, pictures by Ken Robbins 
• Flicker Flash by Joan Bransfield Graham, illustrations by Nancy Davis
• Light Up the Night by Jean Reidy, pictures by Margaret Chodos-Irvine
• Sky Magic, compiled by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrations by Mariusz Stawarski

I hope you'll come back again to see what new poem I've cobbled together. You can find other poems I've written this month at the links below.

April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9

April 10
April 11 

This week, Poetry Friday is hosted by Jone Rush MacCulloch. I hope you'll take the time to check out all things poetic being shared today.

NPM 2024 - Book Spine Poem 11

For National Poetry Month this year, I am perusing my bookshelves and building book spine poems.

Today's poem is a little different. This is my attempt at using book titles to fashion a "Where I'm From" poem in the style of George Ella Lyons. You will see it is created in a series of book stack stanzas, using the same title to begin each one. I hope you learn a little about me, as this is an autobiographical poem. 

I'm from

Children of the Great Depression

the button box

the hard-times jar

earn it

save it

waiting is not easy

I'm from

chalk

kitchen science

handsprings

summersaults

messing around on the monkey bars

I'm from

gone fishing

toasting marshmallows

a walk in the woods

follow the moon home

finding wonders

the pebble in my pocket

I'm from

four seasons make a year

love that dog

let me fix you a plate

museum trip

there's a map on my lap

are we there yet?

I’m from

that’s a possibility

count on me

we all play

ALL are welcome

friends beyond measure

Where are you from?

Poem ©Tricia Stohr-Hunt, 2024. All rights reserved.

Sources

• I'm From by Gary R. Gray, Jr., pictures by Oge Mora
• Children of the Great Depression by Russell Freedman
• The Button Box by Margarette S. Reid, illustrations by Sarah Chamberlain
• The Hard-Times Jar by Ethel Footman Smothers, illustrations by John Holyfield
• Earn It!: A Moneybunny Book by Cinders McLeod 
• Save It!: A Moneybunny Book by Cinders McLeod 
• Waiting Is Not Easy!-An Elephant and Piggie Book by Mo Willems
• Chalk by Bill Thomson
• Kitchen Science by Shar Levine and Leslie Johnstone 
• Handsprings by Douglas Florian
• Summersaults by Douglas Florian
• Messing Around on the Monkey Bars: and Other School Poems for Two Voices by Betsy Franco, illustrations by Jessie Hartland 
• Gone Fishing: A Novel in Verse by Tamera Will Wissinger, illustrations by Matthew Cordell 
• Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems by Kristine O'Connell George, illustrations by Kate Kiesler 
• A Walk in the Woods by Nikki Grimes, illustrations by Jerry Pinkney and Brian Pinkney 
• Follow the Moon Home: A Tale of One Idea, Twenty Kids, and a Hundred Sea Turtles by Philippe Cousteau and Deborah Hopkinson, illustrations by Meilo So
• Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science by Jeannine Atkins
• The Pebble in My Pocket: A History of Our Earth by Meredith Hooper, illustrations by Chris Coady 
• Four Seasons Make a Year by Anne Rockwell, illustrations by Megan Halsey 
• Love That Dog by Sharon Creech 
• Let Me Fix You a Plate: A Tale of Two Kitchens by Elizabeth Lilly
• Museum Trip by Barbara Lehman
• There's a Map on My Lap! All About Maps (The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library) by Tish Rabe, illustrations by Aristides Ruiz 
• Are We There Yet? by Dan Santat
• That's a Possibility!: A Book About What Might Happen by Bruce Goldstone
• Count on Me by Miguel Tanco
• We All Play by Julie Flett 
• All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold, illustrations by Suzanne Kaufman
• Friends Beyond Measure by Lalena Fisher
• Where Are You From? by Yamile Saied Méndez, illustrations by Jaime Kim

I hope you'll come back again to see what new poem I've cobbled together. You can find other poems I've written this month at the links below.

April 1
April 2
April 3
April 4
April 5
April 6
April 7
April 8
April 9
April 10